Mets Minors: Kaczmarski With Big Night in Rumble Ponies Loss

The Rumble Ponies fell tonight 9-6 in a most unusual game for two teams noted for pitching and defense.

Don’t count them out. The Binghamton Rumble Ponies suffered a disappointing loss in game two of the Eastern Division playoffs falling to Trenton in a seesaw affair, 9-6. The loss snapped a nine-game Binghamton winning streak and evened the series at one game apiece. The action will now shift to Trenton with the Eastern Division regular season champions hosting the final three games of the series, if necessary, with the winner moving into the championship round.

Trenton shortstop Thairo Estrada had a monster night in the batter’s box, hitting for the cycle and spearheading an 18 hit Thunder attack. Estrada had an RBI single in the first inning, tripled to lead off the third, blasted a home run to lead off the sixth, and doubled home a run in the ninth. Estrada went 4 for 5, scored three times and drove home three runs.

Trailing 4-0, Binghamton rallied to score five times in the home third. L.J. Mazzilli and Luis Guillorme opened the frame drawing walks. Kevin Kaczmarski laced a triple into the right field corner scoring both runners. Kaczmarski scored when Peter Alonso lofted a soft flair into right field. After Kevin Taylor struck out and Matt Oberste popped out to short, David Thompson placed a double into the gap in right center field. Alonso raced all the way around the bases beating a throw to home plate to score with Thompson trying to reach third on the throw. Catcher Francisco Diaz‘s throw went past third allowing Thompson to score with Binghamton nudging ahead, 5-4.

The one-run lead would hold until to top of the fifth when with two outs, Trenton chunked together five consecutive hits, two against starter, Ricky Knapp, and three against reliever Drew Smith. When the damage was done Trenton had scored three times to grab a 7-5 advantage. The run allowed by Smith was the first allowed by a Binghamton reliever in 30 innings.

Binghamton had their chances. The Rumble Ponies added a run in their half of the fifth on an Oberste RBI single, and had first and third and nobody out, but could not score, eventually leaving the bases loaded. Guillorme and Kaczmarski registered back-to-back singles to begin the sixth, but the Ponies failed to capitalize. Down, 8-6, Binghamton loaded the bases again in the eighth but came up short once again.

Kaczmarski would have a huge game offensively for the home team. The Rumble Pony right fielder would go 4-for-5 missing a cycle of his own by the home run. But, a Trenton offensive barrage proved to be too much for the Ponies to overcome.

Dante Bichette Jr., Zack Zehner and Rashad Crawford all had three hit nights for the Thunder. Two advance to the championship round, the Rumble Ponies will now need to win two of three in Trenton.

The series continues tonight with the action getting underway at 7:00 p.m. Right-hander Marcos Molina will be on the mound for the Rumble Ponies.

MMO Minor League Analyst John Bernhardt is a retired public school teacher and administrator, who still coaches high school baseball. Growing up in a Yankees household, Bernhardt was an ardent Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra fan. When the Yankees fired Yogi in his first season as the Bomber manager, curiosity turned to passion when the Mets signed Berra as a player/coach and he has pulled for the Mets ever since. In retirement, John writes the sports for a local weekly, The Catskill Mountain News and hosts Tip-Off, a Friday morning sports hour, from 8:00-9:00 on WIOX, 91.3 F.M.